The shells belonged to war hero Daniel Connor MBE, a former Sgt Major and weapons expert in the Royal Artillery (Credits: MEN Media)
A street was evacuated after a war hero’s secret stash of artillery shells was discovered.
Nicki Connor was clearing out her late father’s house on Saturday with family friend Scott Sawyer when she came across four unexploded shells.
They belonged to her father Daniel Connor MBE, a former Sgt Major and weapons expert in the Royal Artillery who died last month aged 78.
She believes he collected them during during his 30-year military career and hid in a plastic tub on the garden patio in his home in Altrincham, Trafford.
The shells were discovered at the home of Daniel Connor MBE – a former soldier and explosives expert who died last month (Credits: Nicki Connor/MEN Media)
Nicki said: ‘I picked the tub up and it had water in and I was emptying it out. It was heavy.
‘I went inside and Scott said you need to have a look at this. When he showed me the shells, my stomach dropped.
‘I said we need to get out of here. Dad told Scott that five years ago he got rid of them. They’re about as big as your arm. I presume he just took them.
‘My dad was a war hero. They would have been when he was in the army, in special ops. I knew I’d find bullets and other stuff. But I didn’t think I’d find that.
A 100m cordon was put in place while the shells were made safe (Credits: MEN Media)
‘He’d be loving this. It’s a parting gift.’
The pair quickly alerted Greater Manchester Police, who then visited the home in Avocet Drive, Broadheath just after midday.
Homes were evacuated and a 100m cordon was put in place while a bomb squad raced to the scene.
It is thought they were taken away around 6pm before a controlled explosion was carried out in a nearby farmer’s field.
Scott, 48, from Hale, a former neighbour and best friend of Mr Connor, said the shells were about 12ins long and thought to date from the late 80s.
He added: ‘I just thought, ‘You told me you got rid of them’.
‘He was the nicest person you could ever meet in your life. He was a right down-to-earth bloke. This is his last laugh.
‘He wasn’t a bad bloke. He just didn’t tell the MoD (Ministry of Defence).’
A GMP spokesperson said: ‘Officers were called to reports of suspicious items found during a property clearance on Avocet Drive, Altrincham.’
They said an explosive ordnance disposal team was sent to the area and a ‘precautionary cordon’ was put in place.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE : Beauty spot cordoned off by police after campers find unexploded bomb
MORE : Dog digging in backyard finds unexploded military bomb from decades ago
MORE : Unexploded World War II bomb blown up in the middle of a park